Senior  pop 


ii 


BY 


EUGENE  C.  FOSTER 


:i'nwBinBnwaunt'T!inni3iii>iuB3t!HiiaD:ir<ii'<^'^"' 


BV 
4450 
.F75 
1919 


tihvavy  of  Che  t:heolo0ical  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

REVEREND  CHARLES  ROSENBURY  ERDMAN 

D.D.,  LL.D. 

BV  4450  .F75"  1919^  ^ 

Foster,  Eugene  Clifford, 

1867-1927. 
The  senior  boy 


:rjTrrE^7H5BHK' 


LALt 


®J)e  Senior  Pap 


r 

BY     V 

EUGENE  C.  FOSTER 

AUTHOR  OF  "the  BOY  AND  THE  CHURCH,"   "STARTING  TO 
TEACH,"   "the  intermediate  DEPARTMENT,"  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

THE  WESTMINSTER  PRESS 
1919 


Copyright,  1919, 
By  F.  M.  Braselman 


Contents; 

PAGE 

I.  The  Senior  Boy 5 

II.  Outside  Contacts 11 

III.  Class  Organization 15 

IV.  The  Class  Hour 19 

V.  A  Through  the  Week  Program 24 

VI.  Some  Special  Problems 29 

VII.  Boy  and  Girl  Relationships 36 

VIII.  The  Life  Work  Challenge 42 

IX.  Training  for  Service 47 

X.  How  Shall  I  Test  My  Work? 54 


5Cfje  g)enior  JBop 

The  Senior  period  is  a  time  of  transition  from  a  well- 
marked  group  of  characteristics  in  the  Intermediate 
period  to  an  equally  well-marked  group  of  character- 
istics in  the  Young-People's  period.  Boys  of  twelve, 
thirteen,  and  fourteen  years  of  age  are  self-centered 
in  interests,  single-minded  in  habits,  hero  worshipers. 
Boys  eighteen  years  old  and  over  are  other-centered  in 
interests,  social-minded  in  habits,  ideal  worshipers.  In 
a  sense  not  equally  true  of  any  other  period  of  life  the 
Senior  period  is  a  bridging  over  between  two  more 
clearly  defined  life  epochs. 

The  boy  of  fifteen  is  either  just  beyond  the  physi- 
ological stage  of  puberty  or  is  about  to  pass  through  this 
experience.  This  whole  period  is  fraught  with  unusual 
significance.  The  changes  which  make  him  a  potential 
father  affect  his  whole  life.  There  is  no  need  here  to 
discuss  these  changes  of  themselves;  it  is  rather  for  us 
to  discover  their  bearing  on  his  mental  and  spiritual 
life  and  upon  his  social  impulses. 

His  mental  state  is  frequently  such  that  he  is  ad- 
mitted, by  the  family,  at  least,  to  be  "impossible."  If 
the  truth  were  known,  it  would  frequently  be  found 
that  he  is  Ukewise  ''impossible"  in  his  own  eyes;  while 
those  who  fail  to  understand  him  are  constantly  in 
danger  of  passing  out  of  his  real  life. 

5 


tlTfje  Senior  JBop 


Socially,  he  is  floundering.  On  one  side  is  the  strong " 
predilection  for  the  society  of  boys;  on  the  other  are 
the  beginnings  of  his  reaching  out  for  the  society  of 
girls.  The  element  of  personal  appearance  is  Ukely  to 
assume  large  proportions;  those  who  are  not  sympa- 
thetic may  think  that  this  has  become  unduly  exag- 
gerated. In  his  solitude  and  in  his  social  contacts  he 
may  show  the  signs  of  many  moods.  He  may  be  con- 
sistently inconsistent.  He  has  strong  likes  and  dis- 
Hkes.  He  may  be  at  times  cruel,  at  times  abundantly 
kind.    He  appears  to  be  a  creature  of  whims. 

This  boy  needs  the  contacts  of  patience  and  sym- 
pathy; patience,  and  then  more  patience,  and  then 
more,  until  we  reach  the  hmit,  and  then  go  beyond; 
sympathy  when  there  isn't  the  slightest  token  of  appre- 
ciation, and  when  we  feel  that  our  sympathy  is  really 
misplaced.  This  does  not  mean  that  there  should  be 
coddling,  or  yielding  to  unreasonable  whims,  or  lack  of 
resolution  in  dealing  with  this  boy.  He  doesn't  need 
babying;  he  needs  firmness,  but  it  must  be  of  the  sym- 
pathetic variety  and  it  must  be  fair  beyond  question. 
Unfairness,  insincerity,  inconsistency  on  the  part  of  the 
adult  who  is  most  closely  related  to  him  will  cost  more 
in  this  period  of  life  than  in  any  other. 

In  the  realm  of  spiritual  development  the  Senior  boy 
presents  the  greatest  opportunity  that  is  ever  offered  to 
the  religious  leader.  It  is  evident  that  the  highest  per- 
centage of  Christian  decisions  is  found  in  the  Senior 
period  and  that  the  next  highest  is  found  in  the  first 
year  of  the  following  period.     The  greatest  emphasis 


Cfje  Senior  JBop 


should  be  placed  on  this  unequaled  opportunity  for  Chris- 
tian decision  and  all  that  may  follow  it. 

When  will  our  teachers  comprehend  the  significance 
of  this  opportunity?  When  will  they  realize  that  every 
boy  who  passes  through  their  classes  at  this  time  of  his 
hfe  should  be  challenged  in  no  uncertain  way  to  make 
the  great  choice?  When  will  our  Bible-school  manage- 
ment be  geared  up  to  provide  for  meeting  this  situation 
adequately?  When  will  our  teachers'  meetings  be  so 
adjusted  that  those  who  are  responsible  for  the  boys  of 
this  age  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  study  the  char- 
acteristics and  opportunities  of  this  time?  When  will 
our  records  be  kept  so  that,  automatically,  every  boy 
will  be  looked  up  at  the  proper  time?  When  will  the 
pastor  and  every  officer  and  teacher  fully  grasp  the  re- 
sponsibility which  is  theirs  for  these  boys  who  are  most 
responsive  to  the  challenge  of  Christian  decision? 

This,  to  use  Gilkey's  phrase,  is  the  period  of  transition 
between  the  time  of  the  ''inherited"  and  the  ''personal" 
creed.  The  boy  here  strictly  observes  Paul's  injunction, 
"Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which  is  good." 
Everything  must  stand  the  test  of  his  own  judgment. 

This  is  particularly  true  of  the  later  years  in  this 
grade.  As  the  boy  approaches  eighteen,  he  reaches  not 
infrequently  a  period  of  genuine — and  shall  I  say  whole- 
some?— doubt.  I  should  not  hesitate  to  use  the  word 
"wholesome"  if  I  were  sure  of  the  leadership  he  would 
have  during  these  doubting  years.  If  he  can  be  led  by 
one  who  has  himself  doubted,  but  has  found  a  firm  found- 
ation for  his  convictions,  I  have  little  fear  for  this  boy. 


8  Clje  Senior  JBop 


If,  however,  as  is  too  often  the  case  where  the  boy 
leaves  home  and  is  thrown  among  strangers,  his  leader- 
ship comes  from  those  whose  doubts  have  left  them 
with  no  certain  beUefs,  he  is  in  grave  danger. 

How  this  phase  of  his  life  shall  be  met  in  the  hours  of 
Bible-teaching  will  be  discussed  in  a  later  chapter. 
The  fact  that  the  teacher's  influence  upon  the  boy's 
life  at  this  time  of  real  danger  is  going  to  extend  far  be- 
yond the  teaching  hour  should  be  especially  emphasized 
here.  As  a  teacher,  you  will  influence  this  boy  by  what 
you  beheve  and  how  you  live  out  your  belief;  what  you 
teach  is  of  secondary  importance.  What  you  teach  may 
be  either  emphasized  or  nulHfied  by  what  you  beheve 
and  how  you  Hve. 

It  is  everlastingly  true  that  this  is  no  time  for  vacil- 
lation and  uncertainty.  It  is  a  time  for  positive  teach- 
ing— but  not  dogmatic  teaching.  *'  I  say  this;  therefore 
it  is  true"  has  no  place  here.  *'I  beheve  this;  you  may 
believe  it  or  not  as  your  judgment  dictates"  may  be  the 
keynote  for  the  best  work.  Class  organization  and 
other  machinery  in  this  period  is  important;  but  it  is 
absolutely  secondary  to  the  whole  question  of  right 
personahty  in  leadership.  Preferably  the  teacher 
should  be  a  man.  An  excellent  woman  teacher  may  be 
better  than  a  poor  man  teacher;  but,  other  things  being 
fairly  equal,  the  man  is  always  to  be  preferred.  The 
physiological  changes  in  the  boy's  Hfe  give  the  man  op- 
portunities for  helpfulness  which  rarely  come  to  a  wo- 
man.   The  wise  man  will  more  quickly  discover  the 


Wi)t  Senior  ^oy  9 


varying  needs  of  the  boy;  and  the  boy  greatly  admires 
a  man  who  is  in  sympathetic  touch  with  his  life. 

The  Senior  boy,  then,  is  a  creature  of  ever-changing 
moods  and  needs.  He  is  a  puzzle  to  himself  and  to 
others.  He  is  lost  to  the  day  school,  to  the  Bible  school, 
to  the  home  and  parent,  more  frequently  in  this  period 
than  in  any  other.  He  may  keep  his  physical  residence 
in  his  home  but  he  is  often  "lost"  to  home  and  people 
in  a  very  essential  sense  although  he  lives  among  them. 
When  the  charge  is  made  against  the  Bible  school  that 
it  fails  to  hold  these  boys  it  will  be  well  to  remember 
that  these  other  institutions  likewise  fail  in  many  cases. 
To  know  that  others  fail  also  does  not  make  the  task 
any  easier,  but  it  throws  light  on  the  problem. 

If  this  is  the  real  storm  period  of  the  boy's  life  it  is 
equally  the  testing  period  of  the  Church  contact  with 
him.  Just  at  this  moment  the  Church  is  failing  to 
grip  this  boy  in  any  adequate  way.  But  better  times  are 
coming.  Here  and  there  a  church  has  aroused  itself 
and  has  taken  hold  of  this  boy's  hfe  through  adequate 
Bible-school  leadership.  This  proves  that  it  can  be 
done,  and  the  number  of  churches  which  do  it  will  in- 
crease. The  understanding  of  the  boy  himself  is  the 
first  essential.  The  earnest  leader  who  makes  a  study 
of  any  book  on  this  topic  has  therefore  begun,  at  least, 
to  solve  the  difficult  problem. 


10  tl^t  Mentor  Slop 


TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  How  does  the  Senior  period  differ  from  the  Inter- 
mediate period  just  preceding  and  from  the  Young- 
People's  period  following? 

2.  How  do  physiological  changes  affect  the  boy's  life? 

3.  Why  is  the  boy  sometimes  said  to  be  ''  impossible"? 

4.  Between  what  two  extremes  does  he  weaver  in  his 
social  interests? 

5.  What  bearing  does  this  period  have  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  Christian  decision? 

6.  What  preventive  is  there  for  the  entrance  of  dis- 
quieting doubt  into  his  life? 

7.  What  reasoning  suggests  a  man  teacher  for  this 
period? 

For  further  reading:  *' Adolescent  Boyhood,"  by  H. 
M.  Burr.     (Association  Press.    $1.00  net.) 


n 
([^tsJibe  Contactii 

'^  Curious  title  for  a  chapter  in  this  book,"  ventures 
some  one.    Perhaps  not;  let  us  see. 

Who  is  this  Senior  boy?  What  are  the  elements  in 
his  make-up  with  which  I  have  to  deal?  To  what  extent 
do  the  daily  contacts  of  his  Hfe  influence  the  character 
processes?  The  answer  to  these  questions  is  the  justifi- 
cation for  this  chapter. 

The  bby's  home  is  a  mighty  factor;  the  teacher  can- 
not be  a  vital  force  in  this  boy's  life  until  he  knows 
something  of  his  home.  His  parents — are  they  Chris- 
tians? The  home  life — is  it  wholesome?  Are  honor  and 
integrity  taught?  Is  respect  for  authority  found  there? 
All  these  things  make  for  character  content;  how 
thoroughly  are  they  taught  in  the  home?  What  are  the 
home  standards?  Are  they  above  or  below  the  stand- 
ards of  the  neighborhood  in  which  the  home  is  situ- 
ated? How  do  they  compare  with  the  standards  of 
other  neighborhoods? 

Two  boys  sit  in  my  class.  One  comes  from  a  neigh- 
borhood where  stealing  is  fairly  common;  the  standard 
is  not  to  get  caught  stealing.  Another  comes  from  a 
neighborhood  where  stealing  is  looked  upon  as  par- 
ticularly vicious.  Is  it  not  clear  that  I  must  know  the 
background  of  these  boys'  lives  before  I  can  success- 
fully teach  a  lesson  on  honesty  to  my  class? 

11 


12  ^i^t  Senior  JHop 


What  is  the  boy's  relationship  to  his  school  life  or  his 
work?  If  at  school,  where  is  he,  and  in  what  grade? 
Are  the  personal  contacts  with  teachers  at  his  school 
helpful  or  colorless  or  positively  pernicious?  Happily 
most  of  the  teachers  in  our  schools  exert  wholly  helpful 
influences  on  the  hves  of  our  children;  but  here  and 
there  is  found  a  teacher  whose  influence  is  seriously  in 
the  other  direction. 

At  school  what  studies  does  this  boy  like  and  dislike? 
And  why?  Perhaps  I  can  help  him.  Perhaps,  too,  his 
Ukesand  dislikes  will  give  me  a  cue  to  his  hfe  course — and 
this,  as  will  be  shown  in  another  chapter,  is  no  mean  item. 

If  the  boy  is  at  work,  where  is  he  and  what  is  he  doing? 
And,  even  more  important,  what  is  ahead  of  him?  Has 
he  a  bhnd-alley  job,  or  a  position  with  a  future?  What 
are  the  moral  influences  of  his  surroundings  eight,  nine, 
or  ten  hours  a  day? 

What  about  his  earnings?  Here  enters  the  whole 
moral  problem  of  thrift.  It  will  take  some  tact  to  enter 
into  the  question  of  how  this  money  is  saved  or  spent; 
but  I  can  do  it,  if  I  am  in  the  right  relation  to  him.  His 
leisure-time  occupations,  dependent  to  some  extent  on 
his  free  money,  are  of  mighty  concern  to  me. 

Who  are  this  boy's  friends?  In  a  dormitory  for  boys 
without  homes  in  a  certain  great  city  there  was  one  sure 
way  to  get  an  index  to  a  new  boy's  character.  As  he 
entered  the  dormitory  he  quickly  found  a  place  in  one 
of  two  or  three  fairly  well-defined  groups.  A  week  of 
observation  showed  pretty  clearly  toward  which  group 
he  naturally  tended.    This  was  a  key  to  his  character. 


^ntaitit  Contacts^  13 


So  with  this  boy  in  my  class.  Perhaps  my  shortest 
cut  to  knowing  him  is  to  know  something  about  his 
friends.  This  may  be  difficult,  and  seemingly  a  slow 
process.  Ordinarily,  it  can  be  quite  easily  accomplished. 
There  are  many  ways  by  which  a  boy  may  be  en- 
couraged to  bring  his  teacher  into  contact  with  his 
friends — unless,  perchance,  he  is  conscious  of  not  being 
very  proud  of  some  of  his  friendships.  But  the  teacher 
must  know  the  boy's  friends  as  quickly  as  possible,  both 
for  the  sake  of  the  boy  and  with  a  view  to  knowing  the 
boy  better. 

It  is  wise  to  learn  something  about  the  boy's  taste 
in  reading.  Perhaps  his  reading  habits  are  not  clearly 
formed;  or  perhaps  his  choice  of  books  is  not  whole- 
some. Next  to  the  value  of  knowing  his  friends  in  the 
flesh  comes  the  value  of  knowing  his  book  friendships. 
I  can  quote  fitom  a  choice  book  in  my  class  and  leave  the 
story  unfinished.  If  a  boy  asks  where  he  can  get  that 
book,  I  have  a  key  to  his  reading  tastes.  At  another 
time  I  sound  the  class  on  a  problem  in  science  or  inven- 
tion; the  boys  who  follow  popular  science  in  their  read- 
ing will  show  interest  at  once.  It  is  comparatively  easy 
to  tabulate  the  reading  tastes  of  a  class  of  boys  without 
advertising  the  fact  that  one  is  doing  it. 

What  are  the  influences  of  his  school  life?  Does  he 
belong  to  a  school  society?  Is  it  helpful  or  hurtful? 
How  does  he  grade?    If  he  grades  low,  why? 

What  other  influences  impinge  upon  him?  Life  is 
tremendously  complex.  The  boy  of  to-day  is  thrown 
into  a  vortex  of  conflicting  interests  and  influences 


14  ^f)e  Senior  Pop 


which  is  appalUng.  Do  I  know,  as  his  teacher,  what 
these  interests  and  influences  are  and  how  to  place 
values  on  them?  Do  I  know  which  I  can  call  on  for 
aid  and  which  I  must  combat  in  the  effort  I  am  making 
for  character  construction  in  this  boy's  life? 

To  be  a  Bible-class  leader  demands  more  than  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  Bible,  a  knowledge  of  how  to  teach  a  lesson, 
and  a  knowledge  of  boyhood.  The  teacher  must  know, 
personally  and  individually,  intimately,  minutely,  sym- 
pathetically, each  boy  of  the  six  or  seven  or  ten  who  con- 
stitute his  class.     And  each  boy  must  know  the  teacher. 


TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  How  may  home  influences  affect  the  contacts  I 
have  with  a  boy  in  the  Bible  class? 

2.  Suggest  two  different  types  of  homes  and  describe 
the  way  in  which  each  affects  boy  life. 

3.  How  do  neighborhood  standards  play  a  part  in  de- 
termining character? 

4.  What  elements  in  school  life  may  have  a  vital  part 
in  shaping  the  boy's  attitude  toward  life? 

5.  What  moral  elements  are  involved  in  the  problem 
of  thrift? 

6.  What  should  a  teacher  know  about  the  life  of  an 
employed  boy? 

7.  How  would  you  deal  with  the  question  of  unwhole- 
some friendships? 

8.  Suggest  three  ways  in  which  a  boy's  reading  may 
be  guided. 

For  further  reading:  ''Boy  Life  and  Self -Govern- 
ment," by  G.  Walter  Fiske.  (Association  Press.  $1.00 
net.) 


ni 
Clajfsf  Organisation 

If  there  is  reason  that  the  Intermediate  class  should 
be  organized,  as  is  generally  recognized,  there  is  even 
greater  reason  that  the  Senior  class  should  be  organized. 
But  the  Senior  class  may  not  be  organized  in  quite  the 
same  way  as  the  class  below  or  the  class  above. 

There  are  certain  well-defined  principles  of  organiza- 
tion. In  the  Intermediate  period,  the  teacher  had  to 
assume  open  leadership;  in  the  period  beyond  the 
Senior,  the  teacher  should  be  found  ''leading  from  the 
rear."  It  is  evident  that  here,  again,  these  Senior  boys 
are  to  be  found  in  the  period  of  transition.  So  it  must 
be  with  the  teacher;  to-day  he  will  be  the  manifest 
leader,  as  he  has  previously  been.  To-morrow  he  will 
surrender  this  leadership  to  a  promising  boy;  if  it  works 
well  he  will  surrender  more.  Then  some  day  he  will 
discover  that  he  has  let  go  too  far,  that  leadership  of 
the  adult  kind  is  again  needed.  But  by  this  very  process 
he  will  gradually  develop  trustworthy  leadership  among 
the  boys  themselves.  Toward  the  end  of  the  Senior 
period  he  should  be  able  to  leave  much  of  the  leadership 
to  his  pupils.  His  task  is  to  develop  responsibility  in 
these  boys  as  he  lives  with  them  through  three  Senior 
years. 

There  are  those  who  think  that  a  class  is  ''organized" 
when  an  election  has  been  held  and  officers  have  been 

15 


16  tZI^t)e  Senior  IBop 


elected  and  committees  appointed.  Technically  that 
may  be  true;  but  the  only  really  organized  class  is  the 
class  that  works,  that  proves  by  its  results  that  it  is  a 
better  class  than  a  class  which  is  not  organized. 

For  officers  and  committees  a  six  months'  term  of 
office  seems  more  satisfactory.  Election  of  officers  in 
September  and  March  may  be  desirable;  in  some  cases 
January  and  July  may  work  out  all  right.  Climatic 
conditions  will  be  a  determining  factor.  This  is  assum- 
ing that  the  class  will  hold  actively  to  its  organization 
through  all  the  twelve  months  of  the  year.  The  summer 
months  for  the  city  class  and  the  midwinter  months  for 
the  class  in  the  open  country  need  not  cause  an  absolute 
cessation  of  real  work  if  the  teacher  is  in  earnest. 

But  officers  and  committees  are  elected  for  what  pur- 
pose, with  what  end  in  view?  What  is  the  program? 
How  does  the  class  organization  express  itself?  These 
are  the  test  questions. 

If  the  class  below  this  in  age  is  self-centered  and  the 
class  above  it  is  other-centered,  then  will  this  Senior 
class  again  be  a  mixture  of  the  two.  The  program  must 
provide  amply  for  both. the  boy  who  thinks  mostly  of 
himself  and  of  his  class  and  for  the  same  boy  who  begins 
to  have  yearnings  to  serve  others.  A  difficult  program? 
Yes,  quite  so.  This  is  the  most  difficult  age  group  of 
them  all.    Such  a  program  is  discussed  in  Chapter  V. 

The  committees  should  be  many,  but  of  two  main 
kinds:  (a)  Those  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  class 
itself;  and  (6)  those  devoted  to  the  interests  of  others 
outside  the  class. 


Cla£f£«  0VQani}SLt\on  17 

There  are  those  who  would  give  the  organized  class 
in  this  group  the  privilege  of  electing  its  own  teacher. 
This  does  work  out  successfully  sometimes.  Usually 
it  would  result  in  many  mistakes.  The  selection  of  a 
teacher  should  be  in  more  experienced  hands.  Does  the 
school  board  place  in  the  hands  of  pupils  of  the  Senior 
high  schools  the  selection  of  the  teachers  within  the 
schools?  It  would  be  more  incongruous  than  that  such 
choice  should  be  referred  to  a  class  of  fifteen-  to  seven- 
teen-year-old boys. 

The  organized  class  will  have  its  regular  meetings, 
possibly  once  a  week  or  once  in  two  weeks;  occasionally, 
though  this  is  not  usually  best,  but  once  a  month.  En- 
thusiasm may  suggest  that  the  class  meet  more  than 
once  a  week,  outside  of  the  Sunday  hour.  Generally, 
if  not  invariably,  this  would  be  a  mistake. 

The  class  may  properly  have  a  name — a  dignified 
name.  Avoid  names  that  may  suggest  children's 
groups,  or  names  that  lack  virihty.  Ordinarily  it  is 
better  not  to  name  the  class  after  the  teacher.  If  a 
person's  name  is  taken  it  is  always  safer  to  take  the 
name  of  one  who  is  dead — he  can  make  no  mistakes  to 
cause  embarrassment  to  the  class. 

The  organized  Senior  class  should  recognize  itself  as 
a  part  of  the  whole  school.  ''The  part  is  not  greater 
than  the  whole,"  yet  there  have  been  organized  classes 
which  carried  themselves  as  if  they  thought  they 
were  greater  than  the  school.  Loyalty  to  the  teacher 
and  loyalty  to  the  class  on  the  part  of  each  pupil  is 
necessary;  but  all  this  must  be  bound  up  in  loyalty  to 
2 


18  ^6e  Senior  Siop 


the  institution  as  such — otherwise  the  class  were  better 
not  organized. 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  Why  should  the  class  be  organized? 

2.  What  differences  should  exist  between  this  class 
organization  and  that  of  an  intermediate  group? 

3.  When  may  a  class  be  said  to  be  ''organized"? 

4.  What  tests  may  be  applied  to  determine  the  ade- 
quacy of  a  program  for  an  organized  class? 

5.  What  two  types  of  committees  should  there  be? 

6.  Suggest  arguments  for  and  against  the  selection  of 
a  teacher  by  the  boys  themselves. 

7.  How  may  class  spirit  help  to  maintain  school 
spirit? 

For  further  reading:   Leaflets  Nos.  2  and  4,  Inter- 
national Sunday-School  Association. 


IV 

At  the  time  of  the  lesson  hour  the  boys  of  Senior 
classes  range  all  the  way  from  the  point  of  intense  in- 
terest and  reverent  attention  to  the  other  extreme  of 
disorder  and  distraction  for  themselves  and  for  others. 
It  is  a  problem  indeed  when  these  older  boys  become  a 
disorderly  group.  But  what  are  the  reasons  for  this 
wide  variation? 

In  the  first  place  it  must  be  recognized  that  these  boys 
may  be  in  just  as  turbulent  a  state  of  mind  during  the 
thirty  minutes  of  the  class  hour  as  they  are  during  the 
other  hours  of  the  day  and  days  of  the  week.  It  is 
agreed  that  the  boy  is  at  a  turbulent  stage  of  life,  that 
his  whole  being  is  in  a  state  of  commotion.  This  may 
manifest  itself  in  the  class  hour  as  well  as  at  any  other 
time. 

Before  entering  upon  further  discussion  of  this  matter, 
however,  one  suggestion  should  be  made.  To  some  ex- 
tent, this  state  of  mind  of  the  boy  may  be  safeguarded 
by  the  general  exercises  of  the  school  which  precede  the 
lesson  hour.  Of  tremendous  importance  are  these 
general  exercises  as  a  preparation  for  lesson  study. 
Superintendents  who  slight  this  part  of  their  work, 
who  come  in  to  the  desk  wholly  unprepared  for  this  im- 
portant function,  cannot  keenly  perceive  the  real  values 
of  these  critical  minutes  of  the  opening  exercises.    Very 

19 


20  tKfje  Senior  JSop 


often  the  older  boys  do  not  come  to  the  opening  exercises 
of  the  school.  Why  should  they  make  an  effort  to  be 
present  at  exercises  which  are  evidently  of  last-minute, 
thrown-together  variety  and  which  are  even  then  keyed 
to  the  younger  child  rather  than  to  an  older  average? 
The  capable  teacher  of  a  Senior  class  of  boys  often  suf- 
fers from  the  inefficiency  or  laziness  of  a  superintendent 
who  fails  to  rise  to  the  possibiHties  of  the  opening  hour. 

As  to  the  lesson  period  itself,  the  need  of  a  classroom 
or  its  nearest  possible  equivalent  is  great.  The  Senior 
class  should  be  a  discussion  group,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  have  satisfactory  discussion  in  a  group  where  count- 
less distractions  appeal  to  both  eye  and  ear.  If  the 
separate  classroom  is  not  to  be  had,  a  set  of  screens,  or  a 
curtained  frame,  may  be  used;  this  will  shut  out  the 
most  serious  annoyance,  the  appeal  to  the  eye;  with 
practice  it  may  be  possible  to  work  in  the  presence  of 
extraneous  sounds,  if  the  sights  are  shut  out. 

It  is  essential  to  have  discussion.  The  Senior  class 
will  not  usually  be  successful  for  any  length  of  time  if 
the  leader  is  a  preacher  rather  than  a  teacher.  The 
class  session  is  certainly  not  the  place  for  preaching; 
teaching  may  have  in  it  a  good  deal  of  direct  presenta- 
tion by  the  teacher,  but  the  ''come  back"  of  the  pupils 
must  be  secured.  This  is  especially  necessary  in  this 
age  group  and  in  those  which  immediately  follow. 
These  are  the  disputatious  stages  of  fife.  The  boy  has 
questions  and  convictions.  The  teacher  may  avoid 
letting  him  give  expression  to  these,  for  purposes  of 
his  own  convenience  or  even  safety,  but  he  will  not  ac- 


Wbt  Clafifflf  gour  21 


complish  the  best  teaching  work  by  so  doing.  On  the 
other  hand  he  must  guide  this  discussion  and  not  let 
it  run  away  with  the  class  or  with  the  lesson  plan  which, 
he  has  carefully  made — unless  it  becomes  evident  that 
this  element  of  discussion  offers  a  better  opportunity 
to  present  the  great  truth  than  the  prepared  plan. 

Is  there  any  period  of  the  boy's  hfe  which  calls  for 
more  experience  in  teaching  than  this?  Is  it  not  clear 
that  responsible  Church  leaders  should  select  their  best 
material  for  this  teaching  work?  This  Senior  teacher 
must  be  ready  for  any  turn  which  the  class  hour  takes. 

"Shall  we  encourage  questions  which  are  marked 
with  irreverence?"  asks  some  one.  What  is  meant  by 
the  use  of  the  word  ''irreverence"  in  this  case?  If  the 
boy  questions  a  statement  made  as  a  matter  of  course,  a 
statement  of  belief  long  accepted  by  the  teacher,  is 
that  irreverence?  Not  necessarily.  It  may  be  honest 
inquiry;  if  it  is,  woe  be  to  that  teacher  who  stifles  it! 
By  this  very  squelching  process  has  many  a  boy  been 
sent  from  the  school,  aUenated  from  the  Church,  and 
lost  to  the  Kingdom.  One  must  be  cautious,  therefore, 
about  designating  any  attitude  of  the  Senior  boy  as 
irreverent.  Even  though  it  is  clearly  irreverent  it  may 
be  an  attitude  used  to  cover  up  the  boy's  real  interest. 
The  writer  remembers  with  great  distinctness  that, 
when  he  was  a  boy  of  fifteen,  his  teacher  pressed  a  ques- 
tion pretty  close  home  to  him  one  day  in  class.  He 
was  deeply  touched;  but  he  did  not  wish  to  betray  his 
feeling  to  the  other  boys.  He  answered  in  a  flippant  and 
irreverent  manner.    The  teacher  was  clearly  hurt,  but 


22  CJje  Senior  Pop 


he  had  the  good  sense  not  to  make  an  issue  of  it.  His 
wise  attitude  did  a  great  deal  to  bring  the  boy  later  to  a 
right  relation  to  Christ. 

The  lesson  hour  should  be  rich  in  variety.  Routine 
and  repetition  are  repellent  to  this  boy.  He  is  breaking 
away  from  the  usual  into  the  realm  of  adventure  in  every 
walk  of  his  life;  he  is  equally  ready  for  the  unusual  here 
— not  the  spectacular,  but  the  new. 

Everything  that  can  be  done  to  secure  free  expres- 
sion is  worth  while  considering;  it  may  not  all  be  used. 
The  lesson  study  of  to-day  should  be  tied  up  to  the  ex- 
perience of  the  week  that  is  past,  and  should  be 
prophetic  of  the  week  to  come.  These  boys  live 
intensely  in  the  present.  A  fact  is  of  interest  to  the 
extent  that  it  sheds  light  on  the  present;  the  historical 
for  its  own  sake  is  not  usually  revered. 

These  bo}'S  are  beginning  to  feel  the  call  of  altruism; 
they  are  getting  ready  to  assume  a  disproportionate 
share  of  the  burden  of  world  needs.  Only  a  little  while 
and  many  a  boy  of  this  age  is  going  to  believe  sincerely 
that  he  can  solve  any  problem  which  has  baffled  others 
if  he  is  given  half  a  chance.  Shall  he  be  discouraged, 
or  shall  he  be  guided?  Is  the  answer  to  this  question  a 
suggestion  as  to  methods  of  lesson  presentation?  The 
teacher  must  make  the  class  hour  the  place  where  this 
boy  unconsciously  may  be  guided. 

Is  it  possible  to  secure  fairly  regular  attendance 
among  boys  of  this  age?  Assuredly,  it  is  possible.  But 
dependence  may  not  be  placed  on  parental  authority, 
which  may  be  fairly  efficacious  at  earlier  times.    Paren- 


tlTfje  Clags;  Jlour  23 


tal  influence,  especially  on  the  father's  side,  is  much 
more  potent.  But  for  many  boys  there  is  no  helpful 
home  influence.  Is  it  possible  to  get  these  boys?  Many 
schools  do  get  them.  There  must  be  strong  personality 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  and  this  should  be  supple- 
mented by  adequate  class  organization  and  avenues  for 
adequate  expression. 

The  class  hour  is  but  one  of  the  places  of  contact  be- 
tween teacher  and  boy.  Whether  the  other  contacts 
are  vital  or  not  will  depend  greatly  upon  the  sincerity 
and  the  aptness  of  the  lesson  presentation. 


TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  What  effects,  for  helpfulness  or  hindrance,  may  the 
opening  exercises  of  the  school  or  department  have  upon 
the  lesson  period? 

2.  How  would  you  improve  opening  exercises  which 
are  not  helpful? 

3.  What  are  the  advantages  of  a  separate  classroom? 
Where  a  classroom  cannot  be  had  what  substitutes  are 
available? 

4.  Why  is  discussion  on  the  part  of  the  class  better 
than  a  clear,  forceful  presentation  of  the  entire  lesson  by 
the  teacher? 

5.  How  may  discussion  become  harmful  rather  than 
helpful? 

6.  What  is  your  definition  of  ''irreverence"? 

7.  How  may  the  lesson  period  be  varied? 

8.  What  is  meant  by  the  statement:  ''There  can  be 
no  impression  without  expression"? 

For  further  reading :  "  The  Point  of  Contact  in  Teach- 
ing," by  Paterson  Du  Bois.  (Dodd,  Mead  &  Co., 
$.75  net.) 


A  widowed  mother  patted  her  sixteen-year-old  boy 
on  the  back  as  she  said:  "  He  and  I  are  chums,  and  I  am 
sure  it  always  will  be  so.  He  never  goes  an3rwhere 
without  me,  and  we  shall  continue  to  be  together." 
That  mother  must  some  time  awaken  to  a  new  realization. 

The  boy  in  this  period  must  enlarge  his  social  con- 
tacts; he  cannot  help  doing  so.  It  is  in  this  process  of 
widening  his  sphere  of  companionship  and  interests  that 
he  needs  guidance.  The  Bible-school  hour  on  Sunday 
will  usually  need  to  be  supplemented  by  through-the- 
week  activity  to  help  him  to  make  his  new  adjustments 
safely. 

There  should  be  for  each  organized  class  a  between- 
Sundays  program.  The  active  boy  will  have  such  a 
program,  and  it  will  almost  always  be  one  of  group  ac- 
tivity. Such  a  group  needs  the  adult  leadership  which 
wise  Bible-class  organization  should  supply. 

What  shall  the  program  be?  One  might  well  test  a 
proposed  program  by  three  questions: 

1.  Is  the  program  progressive?  Does  it  allow  the 
boy  to  grow?  Some  programs  admirably  adapted 
for  younger  boys  fail  right  here:  There  is  no 
chance  for  the  boy  to  grow  within  the  program 
and  to  grow  rapidly. 
24 


^  tlTftrougf)  tfie  Mttk  program  25 

2.  Is  the  program  an  all-round  program?    Does  it 

provide  for  the  growth  of  the  boy  along  all  sides 
of  his  nature?  There  are  most  excellent  programs 
which  are  wholly  directed  to  spiritual  growth, 
or  wholly  devoted  to  physical  activities.  All 
these  are  alike  failures.  No  matter  how  skillful 
a  boy  may  become  in  woodcraft  or  military 
training  or  athletics,  if  the  program  makes  no 
adequate  provision  for  his  spiritual  growth,  it 
should  have  no  place  in  a  plan  of  religious  edu- 
cation. 

3.  Is  the  program  character-building  in  its  contacts? 
Does  it  inculcate  habits  of  punctuality,  obedi- 
ence, reverence,  the  proper  assumption  of  responsi- 
bility? A  boy  may  wear  the  insignia  of  advanced 
work  of  one  of  the  popular  boy  organizations  of  the 
day  and  yet  be  unworthy  to  be  trusted  out  of  sight. 
Of  what  avail  are  all  his  attainments  and  his 
honors  and  pseudochevrons  when  the  innermost 
traits  of  character  are  not  touched? 

If  the  program  in  question  passes  these  tests,  it  is 
worthy  of  consideration.  A  program  which  fails  in 
any  one  of  these  particulars  is  not  worthy  of  a  Bible- 
class  organization. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  interests  of  these 
boys  are  still  largely  physical.  Hence  athletics  will  need 
to  have  a  real  place  in  the  activity  program  of  this  class. 
Interclass  and  interschool  games  should  be  encouraged, 
provided  they  may  be  held  under  suitable  conditions. 
Untold  damage  has  been  done  by  the  indiscriminate 
making  of  game  schedules  which  take  boys  to  places  of 
unsavory  character  or  into  contact  with  other  boys 


26  tE^fje  Senior  Jiop 


who  are  unclean  in  their  actions  and  speech.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  game  is  properly  officered  by  adults, 
and  the  place  carefully  chosen,  it  may  frequently  be 
possible  to  bring  other  teams  of  less  fortunate  boys  to 
meet  your  boys.  I  do  not  plead  that  these  Bible-school 
boys  in  their  athletics  should  be  '' sheltered"  from  others 
of  unlike  tastes.  But  I  do  insist  that  the  supervision 
and  the  place  of  play  shall  tend  toward  decency  rather 
than  away  from  it. 

"All  unnecessary  caution,"  some  one  suggests.  Not 
when  it  is  possible  to  cite  cases  where  a  Bible-class  team 
of  boys  of  this  age  has  played  basket  ball  on  a  floor 
which  is  an  adjunct  of  a  low  saloon,  and  that  without 
even  an  older  person  from  the  Bible  school  present; 
when  two  Bible  teams,  playing  on  the  floor  of  a  church 
gymnasium  without  any  adult  leaders  present,  came  to 
profanity  and  blows.  Every  date  for  an  athletic  con- 
test for  the  representative  team  of  the  class  should  be 
accepted  in  open  meeting  and  should  have  the  teacher's 
approval,  together  with  the  presence  of  a  responsible 
adult  when  the  game  is  played. 

The  boys  of  this  period  are  leaning  strongly  toward 
association  with  girls.  The  opportunity  to  build  up  the 
social  life  of  boys  and  girls  together  should  therefore  be 
recognized.  In  this  period  the  "stag"  affair  gets  to  be 
a  bore  if  often  repeated.  A  httle  variation  which  will 
provide  girl  and  boy  activities  under  good  auspices  will 
be  wholesome. 

This  is  the  time  when  the  break  away  from  school 
is  much  too  common.    The  program  should  provide  for 


S  trijrougf)  tije  Mnk  J^rogram  27 

mental  stimulus  and  growth.  The  meetings  of  the  group 
should  tend  to  interest  the  boys  in  intellectual  values. 
Good  reading,  poetry,  music,  art — all  -^ill  help.  It  is  a 
poor  program  which  makes  no  provision  for  culture  in 
its  finest  sense. 

As  to  spiritual  growth,  this  age  spells  opportunity 
in  large  letters.  A  part  of  the  program,  accepted  by  all, 
should  bring  a  definite  challenge  to  the  spiritual  im- 
pulses. As  the  age  of  decision  comes  in  this  period,  a 
wisely  planned  program  vnW  make  place  for  the  decision 
impulse  to  find  natural  expression. 

The  wTiter  knows  of  but  one  program  for  boys  of  this 
age  which  has  been  constructed  with  all  these  require- 
ments in  \dew.  It  is  the  American  Standard  Program, 
issued  by  the  International  Committee  of  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations,  and  available  for  general  use. 
This  program  is  constructed  with  the  purpose  of  bring- 
ing each  boy  up  to  the  plane  of  a  balanced  fife.  It 
avoids  overemphasizing  any  phase  of  gro\^i;h.  It  seeks 
to  produce  sjTametry.  In  such  a  program  the  develop- 
ment of  the  spiritual  life  goes  along  Tsith  the  develop- 
ment of  the  physical  or  social  fife.  This  program  pro- 
vides an  ingenious  ''charting"  scheme  for  boys  of  this 
age.  The  charting  of  a  boy  is  essentially  a  directed 
personal  interview  in  which  all  the  boy's  fife  interests 
are  passed  in  re\dew.  The  wise  leader  will  use  this 
interview  frequently  as  the  means  to  encourage  the 
boy  to  express  his  decision  for  the  Christian  life.  The 
organized  class  of  boys,  enrolled  with  its  denomina- 
tional agency,  is  usually  ready  for  a  program  of  this 


28  tIDtje  Senior  Pop 


character,  and  the  American  Standard  Program  or  its 
equivalent  must  be  used  to  supply  the  program  need  of 
the  group. 

Who  shall  say  what  part  of  the  teacher's  work  will 
be  done  between  Sundays?  Will  it  be  ninety  per  cent? 
Sometimes  it  will  be.  Not  that  the  activities  between 
Sundays  can  ever  take  the  place  of  the  Sunday  Bible 
hour.  Each  type  of  work  is  needed  in  its  place;  neither 
can  succeed  without  the  other. 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is  meant  by  ''widen  social  contacts"? 

2.  Why  should  the  Bible-class  leader  feel  a  responsi- 
bility for  the  new  social  contacts  which  the  boy  is  mak- 
ing? 

3.  How  may  a  Bible-class  program  function  in  the 
between-Sundays  activities  of  boy  Ufe? 

4.  What  tests  will  prove  such  a  program  adequate? 

5.  Why  should  a  good  deal  of  emphasis  be  placed 
upon  the  physical  side  of  a  program? 

6.  What  attitude  should  we  take  toward  the  boy's 
associations  with  girls? 

7.  How  may  we  help  to  keep  the  boy  in  school? 

8.  To  what  extent  should  the  spiritual  growth  of  the 
boy  be  considered  in  framing  such  a  program? 

For  further  reading:  Any  book  or  pamphlet  published 
by  the  denomination  on  the  organized  Bible  class  and  its 
program. 

For  examination:  ''The  American  Standard  Pro- 
gram."   (Association  Press.) 


VI 

^me  S>pectal  ^roblem^s; 

Each  chapter  of  this  book  discusses  a  problem  arising 
out  of  the  leadership  of  Senior  boys.  But  under  the 
general  head  of  this  chapter  a  few  questions  which 
arise  from  time  to  time,  may  be  discussed  more  briefly 
than  under  separate  chapter  designations. 

1.  Sex  Instruction.  The  boy  in  this  period  is  passing 
through  the  period  of  change  called  puberty,  or  has 
recently  passed  through  it.  The  question  of  personal 
purity  of  life  in  his  social  contacts  with  girls  may  be- 
come a  very  real  puzzle  in  the  later  years  of  this  group. 
How  shall  this  need  of  the  Senior  boy  be  met?  Cer- 
tainly not  by  dodging  the  issue.  Here  a  man  teacher 
will  be  most  valuable,  a  woman  teacher  most  perplexed, 
as  to  what  to  do. 

The  force  of  personal  example  is  tremendous.  The 
man  whose  own  life  is  right  will  be  a  powerful  example 
to  the  boy.  A  frank  attitude  toward  sex  matters,  when- 
ever they  come  up,  will  be  helpful.  A  fine  relation  of 
comradeship  between  man  and  boy  will,  perhaps,  count 
more  than  anything  else.  The  teacher  who  can,  not 
more  than  once  or  twice,  talk  helpfully  with  the  boy 
about  these  problems  will  be  a  mighty  factor  at  this 
critical  time. 

2.  Irresponsibility.  "My  boys  will  not  take  re- 
sponsibiUty.     They  agree  to  do  something,  and  then 

29 


30  tlTfte  Senior  JHop 


utterly  neglect  it.  They  are  never  on  time.  I  cannot 
rely  on  them."  So  runs  the  plaint  of  many  a  teacher, 
with  all  truthfulness,  with  reference  to  this  particular 
group.  Shall  the  teacher  throw  up  his  hands  and  say 
that  it  is  useless  to  try  to  correct  it?  Not  if  he  beheves 
in  boys  and  in  his  message  to  boys.  It  will  not  solve  the 
problem  to  say  that  these  boys  have  all  around  them,  in 
their  elders,  examples  of  this  same  unwillingness  to 
meet  responsibility.  This  makes  the  task  with  the  boy 
harder,  but  it  gives  no  excuse  to  let  him  go  without  help. 

There  are  certain  aids  to  the  solution  of  this  problem. 
First,  the  teacher  should  be  very  cautious  as  to  how  he 
assigns  responsibilities.  They  should  be  few,  and  very 
definite.  The  teacher  should  be  considerate.  If  a  boy 
is  overloaded  with  school  or  home  duties,  he  should 
gauge  assignments  carefully.  If  the  biggest  game  of  the 
season  is  three  days  off,  it  may  be  well  to  refrain  from 
any  assignment  or  appointment  until  that  excitement  is 
over.  A  request  for  something  to  be  done  or  an  appoint- 
ment to  be  met  should  be  clearly  and  definitely  stated. 
There  should  be  no  uncertainty  as  to  what  is  wanted. 
If  the  boy  accepts  the  assignment,  he  should  know  that 
his  leader  fully  expects  him  to  live  up  to  it.  ''Harry,'' 
said  a  teacher,  ''our  meeting  next  Wednesday  will  be  at 
eight,  but  I  suppose  you  will  come  strolling  in  at  eight- 
thirty."    This  was  a  poor  way  to  develop  promptness. 

When  a  boy  shows  signs  of  lacking  the  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility he  should  be  carefully  guided  into  a  better 
way.  This  will  come  through  a  friendly,  personal  touch. 
Sometimes  he  may  need  a  shock.    A  class  meeting  is  to 


B>omc  Special  ^roblem£f  31 

be  held,  and  all  agree  to  be  there.    It  may  be  well  once 
in  a  while  to  have  at  the  moment  of  beginning  a  genuine 
surprise  of  great  interest.     Say  nothing  in  advance 
about  it;  let  the  absentee  miss  what  the  others  receive= 

The  leader  must  see  through  every  assignment  ac- 
cepted. To  let  the  boy  lapse  and  have  no  occasion  for 
regret  is  bad  for  the  boy. 

The  leader  should  keep  his  own  appointments  scrup- 
ulously. To  promise  such  and  such  a  thing  in  connec- 
tion with  next  Sunday's  lesson,  or  to  be  five  minutes 
late  at  class  or  at  an  appointment  without  satisfactory 
explanation,  is  to  pave  the  way  for  lack  of  a  sense  of 
responsibility  on  the  part  of  boys.  This  is  the  careless 
school  in  which  so  many  have  been  trained;  our  task, 
by  precept  and  example,  is  to  give  them  more  con- 
structive leadership. 

These  boys  should  be  given  responsibilities  beyond 
their  years  rather  than  those  which  belong  to  the 
younger  group.  They  are  emerging  into  the  altruistic 
areas  of  life;  they  should  be  offered  man-size  service 
tasks. 

3.  The  Indifferent  Home.  We  can  frequently  do 
more  with  a  boy  from  a  non-Christian  home  than  with 
a  lad  from  a  home  which  is  professedly  Christian  but 
indifferent  to  the  boy's  greatest  needs.  Both  the  boy 
and  his  teacher  may  be  conscious  of  the  lack  in  his 
home,  but  they  cannot  talk  about  it.  All  the  teacher 
can  do  is  to  let  the  power  of  his  own  example  speak  as 
loudly  as  it  will  and  to  strive  to  inculcate  higher  ideals. 
If  there  is  drinking  in  a  home,  or  other  unwholesome 


32  tlTfje  Senior  Pop 


example,  the  teacher  should  be  careful  to  distinguish 
between  condemnation  of  sin  and  of  the  sinner.  It  is 
not  right  to  impale  a  boy  before  his  fellows  and  torture 
him  by  condemnation  of  all  who  drink,  if  his  father  is  a 
drinking  man.  Though  the  teacher  hates  that  sin  with 
all  his  heart,  there  need  be  no  imkind  thought  of  the 
man  who  errs. 

The  teacher  has  no  right  to  lower  the  ideals  placed 
before  his  boys  because  a  boy's  home  is  lacking  in  good 
example.  But  he  can  teach  the  great  lessons  of  life  in  a 
way  that  will  assure  the  boy  that  he  still  respects  his 
parents  because  they  are  his  parents.  Many  a  boy  who 
has  been  wisely  led  under  these  circumstances  has  later 
become  the  very  saviour  of  his  own  home.  There  is 
always  that  posaibiHty. 

4.  Disrespect.  This  may  be  toward  parents,  oi- 
teachers,  or  others  in  authority,  or  to  the  Church  and 
even  to  God.  It  is  frequently  found  in  this  period.  It 
need  not  be  serious;  or  it  may  become  so. 

Frequently  such  outward  disrespect  is  a  cloak  to  hide 
real  feelings.  Perhaps  this  is  true  more  often  than 
is  realized.  Such  disrespect,  while  not  passed  by  with 
approval,  need  not  be  taken  very  seriously.  Fre- 
quently, again,  such  outward  disrespect  is  shown  in 
order  to  shock  the  teacher  or  parent;  in  this  case  utter 
disregard  of  it  is  a  fine  corrective.  Why  shock  anyone 
who  refuses  to  be  shocked?  The  fun  is  all  gone  from  the 
game. 

The  least  said  about  disrespect  before  others  the 
better.     The  quiet  talk  will  do  more  to  correct  this 


^ome  fecial  problems:  33 


tendency  than  anything  else.  But  the  quiet  talk  is 
possible  between  man  and  boy  only  when  there  has  been 
established  a  bond  of  sympathy.  There  must  be  a 
quiet  word  at  the  right  time,  and  ever-deepening  bonds 
of  friendship. 

5.  Lack  of  Interest.  This  problem  is  as  old  as  time. 
The  boy  who  sits  before  me  in  class  is  interested  in  his 
to-day;  I  am  interested  in  his  to-morrow.  It  will  take 
all  the  skill  I  have  to  give  him  my  point  of  view,  all  the 
patience  I  have  to  put  up  so  long  with  his  point  of  view. 
He  is  interested,  now  and  here,  in  the  things  which 
appeal  to  his  present  life.  I  present  to  him  some  Bible 
teaching,  a  story  from  the  long  ago,  where  men,  unreal 
to  him,  walk  back  and  forth  over  the  stage  of  action. 
I  may  try  to  inculcate  an  abstract  principle;  he  thinks 
only  in  terms  of  the  concrete. 

When  the  problem  has  been  stated  in  this  way  it 
must  be  evident  that  the  solution  hes  in  the  teacher's 
hands.  The  boy  will  be  interested  (a)  in  that  in  which 
I  am  interested,  if  he  thinks  a  good  deal  of  me;  (b)  in 
that  which  I  make  real  to  him  and  connect  up  with  his 
daily  life;  (c)  in  that  which  reflects  his  own  experience, 
and  which  he  is  thus  able  to  identify  with  his  own  Ufe 
problem;  (d)  in  things  which  have  in  them  action,  for 
he  is  a  creature  of  action. 

If  the  boy  lacks  interest,  it  is  the  teacher's  fault,  not 
his.    This,  therefore,  is  a  matter  capable  of  correction. 

6.  The  Know-It-All  Stage.  This  ailment,  often  pain- 
less to  the  patient  but  extraordinarily  trying  to  those 
about  him,  is  well-nigh  universal  in  the  Senior  age,  and 

3 


34  tlTJje  Senior  Pop 


later.  It  is  the  cause  of  much  misunderstanding  and 
heartache.  There  is  no  cure  for  it  but  time.  The  con- 
dition feeds  on  opposition;  hence,  the  less  the  opposition 
the  quicker  the  cure.  This  does  not  mean  that  every 
extravagant  statement  made  by  a  boy  at  this  age  must 
be  accepted  in  silence;  but  many  statements  are  about 
nonessentials,  and  these  may  be  passed  by  quietly  in 
order  to  avoid  argument.  An  erroneous  statement, 
where  facts  are  easily  obtainable  to  disprove  it,  may  be 
made  the  occasion  for  a  quiet  admonition,  without  wit- 
nesses, to  be  careful  of  statement  in  the  future. 

A  teacher  may  not  distinctly  remember  it,  but  he 
also  has  passed  through  this  stage  at  one  time.  Surely 
the  realization  of  this  fact  should  lead  him  to  be  very 
patient  and  sympathetic  with  the  boys  who  must  needs 
go  that  way  while  he  looks  on  and  sees  how  foolishly 
they  carry  their  autoknowledge.  ''  Is  he  a  replica  of  me 
in  my  own  boyhood?  And  was  somebody  supremely 
patient  with  me?"  These  are  suggestive  questions  for 
the  teacher  to  ask  of  himself. 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is  the  best  way  in  which  to  help  a  boy  in  this 
period  in  matters  of  sex  instruction? 

2.  Suggest  three  ways  in  which  boys  may  be  helped  to 
assinne  responsibility? 

3.  In  what  way  does  the  teacher  indirectly  teach  the 
importance  of  responsibility? 

4.  How  may  I  teach  boys  higher  ideals  than  those 
which  exist  in  the  home,  without  doing  harm  to  proper 
home  influence? 

5.  What  is  the  best  cure  for  persistent  disrespect? 


^ome  Special  ^roblems^  35 

6.  Why  is  disrespect  more  common  in  this  period  than 
either  ear  her  or  later? 

7.  Take  three  boys  you  know  who  are  passing  through 
the  lack-of-interest  stage  and  tell  in  each  case  what  is 
the  cause. 

8.  Suggest  two  ways  in  which  to  meet  the  boy  in  the 
know-it-all  period. 

For  further  reading:  "Problems  of  the  Intermediate 
and  Senior  Teachers,"  by  Eugene  C.  Foster.  (West- 
minster Press.    $.40  net.) 


vn 

JSo|>  anb  (girl  3^eIations(f)ips( 

How  many  teachers  hold  up  their  hands  in  despair 
when  this  subject  is  broached:  Here  for  some  is  a  prob- 
lem seemingly  beyond  solution.  It  is  a  problem,  to  be 
sure.  But  there  are  many  elements  in  it  which  are  far 
from  being  impossible  of  solution. 

In  the  first  place  it  is  well  to  recognize  the  fact  that 
the  attraction  between  boys  and  girls  in  this  age  group 
is  normal.  It  does  not  come  with  equal  intensity  in  all 
cases,  nor  at  a  uniform  age.  One  boy  or  girl  may  pass 
almost  through  the  period  without  much  manifesta- 
tion of  this  attraction,  while  another  boy  or  girl  may  de- 
velop it  at  a  very  early  time.  It  is  a  normal  develop- 
ment, however,  and  the  young  folks  who  do  not  show 
its  signs  by  sixteen  or  seventeen  are  rather  unusual. 
With  such  a  normal  development,  then,  the  teacher 
must  faithfully  deal. 

The  relationships  between  girls  and  boys  should  be 
open  and  frank.  A  great  deal  of  the  unwholesome  will 
be  avoided  if  the  social  contacts  are  out  in  the  open, 
rather  than  concealed.  Anything  that  tends  toward 
driving  these  relationships  to  concealment  must  be 
challenged.  Scolding  by  parents  or  others  because  a 
boy  is  interested  in  girls,  or  a  girl  in  boys,  frequently 
relegates  these  interests  to  the  basis  of  the  clandestine. 
Sarcastic  remarks  or  teasing  will  usually  prove  to  be 

36 


J5op  anb  (3ivl  I^elationsfjip^  37 

equally  mischievous.  That  which  needs  secrecy  is 
almost  sure  to  be  unwholesome;  that  which  will  eagerly 
welcome  the  light  of  day,  the  open  eye  of  observation, 
will  probably  prove  to  be  right. 

Here  is  an  immediate  lesson  for  the  Bible-school 
teacher.  Are  your  boys  manifestly  interested  in  girls? 
Hail  it  with  sincere  delight.  Let  the  boys  know  that  you, 
too,  are  truly  interested.  Welcome  the  confidences 
which  may  come  to  you.  All  this  is  a  healthy  sign.  The 
same  suggestion  applies  to  a  teacher  of  a  class  of  girls. 

Are  there  not  dangers  here,  then?  Yes,  many.  It  is 
because  there  are  dangers  that  the  pupils  need  the 
teacher's  counseling  presence.  But  counsel  will  not 
continue  to  be  a  privilege  if  the  teacher  is  faultfinding 
and  evidently  suspicious.  The  very  air  of  frankness 
all  around  is  the  first  essential  to  the  solution  of  these 
problems. 

There  are  those  who  view  with  open  suspicion  every 
evidence  that  the  boys  and  girls  are  getting  interested 
in  each  other  at  this  time.  "Too  young,"  they  say.  It 
may  be  unfair  and  irrelevant  to  press  an  inquiry  as  to 
the  age  at  which  these  same  critics  manifested  like 
tendencies;  and  many  of  them  appear  to  have  survived 
without  serious  loss.  The  real  fact  is,  however,  that 
these  interests  are  normal,  and  we  should  hesitate  to 
charge  nature  with  mistakes. 

The  most  helpful  element  in  the  situation  is  present 
when  we  can  retain  these  boy  and  girl  relationships  on 
an  impersonal  basis.  When  the  boys  seek  the  com- 
panionship of  the  girls  in  groups  the  tendency  is  almost 


38  tKfje  Senior  Jiop 


always  right  and  safe.  The  greatest  harm  is  likely  to 
result  from  too  early  "pairing  off."  In  this  matter 
adults  are  much  to  blame.  Social  affairs  are  set  up 
where  the  very  plan  involves  this  pairing-off  process. 
Many  times  these  young  people  would  be  wholly  con- 
tent to  get  their  social  life  in  the  group  atmosphere,  did 
not  adult  planning  suggest  another  course. 

It  is  a  bit  disheartening  when  the  sixteen-year-old 
boy  makes  a  "date"  with  the  fifteen-year-old  girl, 
neither  parent  being  consulted,  and  calls  for  her  in  his 
father's  machine  or  a  hired  taxicab  and  takes  her  to  the 
theater  or  a  dance.  Is  this  a  fancy  picture?  Not  at  all. 
It  is  from  real  life,  and  is  not  taken  from  any  extreme 
social  circle  but  rather  from  the  ordinary  walks  of  life. 

Such  social  customs  are  entirely  out  of  place  at  fifteen 
or  sixteen.  The  social  customs  of  young  men  and  young 
women  should  not  be  aped  by  boys  and  girls.  Then, 
too,  there  are  fictitious  elements  in  it  all.  Values  are 
badly  rated;  unimportant  things  are  made  to  appear 
important.  This  is  not  good  for  the  lives  of  our  j^oung 
people.  Beyond  this  is  the  element  of  unwise  expendi- 
ture. In  many  cases  these  social  affairs  are  quite  be- 
yond the  legitimate  means  of  the  young  people  con- 
cerned. These  are  but  a  few  of  the  considerations  which 
should  cause  anxiety. 

Parents,  and  not  infrequently  high-school  authorities, 
are  to  blame.  People  who  know  better  are  to  blame, 
for  they  allow  their  sons  and  daughters  to  set  the  exr 
ample  for  those  who  do  not  know  better.  The  Bible- 
school  teacher  must  often  face  this  problem  in  the  full 


J3oj>  anb  (f^irl  l^elationsifjipsf  39 

knowledge  that  other  adults,  close  to  these  young  peo- 
ple, are  really  responsible.  It  is  a  difficult  situation. 
The  best  solution  is  apt  to  come  when  the  teacher  is 
wise  and  painstaking  enough  to  show,  little  by  little, 
that  general  social  gatherings,  with  real  comradeship 
among  all  present,  furnish  more  genuine  fun,  after  all, 
than  the  exclusive  two-by-two  arrangement . 

This  is  not  asking  for  the  impossible.  Certainly  this 
particular  boy  has  a  right  to  find  a  prime  attraction  in 
that  particular  girl.  It  is  nature's  way  again.  But 
opposition  to  this  mutual  attraction  is  usually  the  best 
way  to  increase  it.  Reasonable  persuasion,  with  good 
sense  in  it  all,  may  win  a  point  for  the  adult  view;  un- 
reasonable opposition  is  hkely  to  result  in  a  way  op- 
posite to  that  intended. 

A  mother  repeatedly  took  a  girl's  photograph  off  her 
son's  bureau,  and  placed  it  elsewhere,  out  of  sight. 
The  photograph  always  promptly  found  its  way  back 
to  the  bureau.  No  words  passed;  but  the  son  and  the 
girl  are  married  now,  and  it  was  a  pretty  good  match, 
after  all.    The  mother  was  wrong,  and  did  wrong. 

If  a  mutual  attraction  between  two  is  inevitable, 
happy  is  that  teacher  who  holds  his  or  her  place  of  coun- 
sel through  it  all.  If  these  young  people  continue  to 
share  their  joys  and  sorrows  with  parents  or  teachers 
there  need  be  little  fear  for  the  outcome. 

The  teacher  should  everlastingly  inculcate  in  the 
boys  respect  for  the  girls,  and  in  the  girls  respect  for 
the  boys.  He  should  teach  chivalry,  as  knightly  as  can 
be  and  Christian  with  it  all.    That  these  boys  and  girls 


40  tlTfjt  Senior  JHop 


shall  be  Christian  ladies  and  gentlemen  is  the  teacher's 
greatest  hope. 

There  are  many  courtesies,  now  all  but  obsolete, 
which  the  Bible-school  teacher  should  seek  to  have 
adopted  by  the  young  people.  It  is  not  a  trifling  gal- 
lantry that  a  boy  shall  automatically  arise  when  a  girl 
or  a  woman  enters  the  room  where  he  is  sitting,  or  proffer 
his  seat  in  a  car  to  a  woman  who  enters.  It  has  in  it 
the  merit  of  basic  respect  which  will  make  it  harder  for 
him  to  offer  any  woman  discourtesy  or  dishonor.  A 
girl  who  is  careful  about  her  bearing  in  the  presence  of 
a  boy,  or  who  shows  the  fine  womanly  graces  which 
save  her  from  familiarity,  is  on  the  way  to  a  womanhood 
which  all  men  can  respect. 

The  teacher,  then,  should  encourage  social  contacts 
between  boys  and  girls,  guiding  them  to  association  in 
groups  rather  than  by  pairs. 

He  should  study  with  care  his  own  attitude  as  a  man 
toward  women.  He  should  expect  these  young  people 
to  learn  more  from  what  he  does  than  from  what  he  says. 
He  should  be  instantly  alert  to  respond  to  confidences 
brought  to  him  by  his  young  people — never  scolding, 
never  making  fun  to  the  point  of  unpleasantness,  never 
showing  suspicion.  He  should  aim  frankly  to  counsel, 
and  pray  that  his  counsel  may  be  of  the  kind  that  will 
prove  welcome. 

He  should  invent  social  activities  that  will  emphasize 
the  best  there  is  in  this  realm.  He  should  tempt  from 
the  cheaper  with  better  things.  He  should  seek  to  cul- 
tivate taste,  to  mold  desires,  rather  than  to  inforce 


Jiop  anb  (^itl  l^elationsffjipsf  41 

prohibitory  laws.    He  should  seek  to  inculcate  principles 
rather  than  to  lay  down  rules. 

Above  all,  he  should  recognize  the  social  Ufe  of  his 
pupils,  and  especially  the  mutual  attraction  of  sex,  as 
not  only  God-given,  but  as  offering,  in  many  ways, 
his  best  possible  opportunity  to  drive  home  his  best 
teaching  in  other  realms  of  thought.  He  should  seek 
to  win  these  young  people  through  sympathetic  under- 
standing of  their  problems,  instead  of  driving  them  away 
by  inexorable  prohibitions. 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  Why  is  attraction  between  boys  and  girls  of  this 
age  accepted  as  normal? 

2.  Why  is  open  relationship  between  boy  and  girl 
preferable  to  secret  relationships? 

3.  Does  the  element  of  concealment,  even  in  wholly 
acceptable  relationships,  add  to  zest  and  interest?  How 
may  we  meet  this? 

4.  How  can  pairing  off  at  this  age  be  substituted  by 
general  social  contacts  in  which  more  than  two  are 
involved? 

5.  What  is  the  best  relationship  of  a  teacher  to  a  sit- 
uation where  mutual  attraction  develops  in  a  marked 
degree? 

6.  How  may  seemingly  trifling  courtesies  have  an  in- 
fluence in  estabUshing  right  attitudes  toward  girls? 

7.  How  may  a  teacher  deal  successfully  with  con- 
fidences? 

8.  What  is  the  difference  between  inculcating  princi- 
ples and  laying  down  rules  of  conduct? 

For  further  reading:  ''Girl  and  Her  Rehgion,"  by 
Margaret  Slattery.  (The  Pilgrim  Press.  $1.00  net.) 
"The  American  Girl  and  Her  Community,''  by  Mar- 
garet Slattery.    (The  Pilgrim  Press.    $1.25  net.) 


vni 

Wbt  mtt  moxk  Cfjallenge 

For  a  long  time  it  has  been  the  custom  of  many  who 
are  seeking  to  secure  young  men  to  enter  certain  forms 
of  life  work  to  look  for  these  young  men  among  those 
who  are  about  to  be  graduated  from  college.  A  Uttle 
reflection  must  have  shown  long  ago  that  many  a  de- 
cision as  to  life  work  is  made  a  great  while  before  col- 
lege graduation;  frequently  it  is  made  before  entering 
college,  and  the  college  course  is  selected  in  the  light  of 
this  decision.  Is  it  not  possible  that  many  a  final  de- 
cision is  reached  in  the  high-school  days?  If  so,  the 
Senior  boys  in  our  classes  may  be  right  at  the  point  of 
this  decision,  for  the  age  average  is  that  of  the  upper 
high-school  grades. 

Great  care  is  needed  in  dealing  with  this  situation. 
There  are  many  who  believe  that  the  choice  of  a  voca- 
tion should  not  be  finally  made  at  so  early  a  period. 
That  many  do  make  such  final  choices  at  this  period 
remains  true.  There  is  good  reason  for  caution  lest  too 
much  stress  be  laid  upon  this  major  decision  at  a  time 
when  the  boy  is  not  ready,  and  should  not  be  called  on, 
to  make  it.    All  this  seems  contradictory. 

In  the  first  place,  certain  broad  decisions  may  safely 
be  made  much  earlier  in  Ufe  than  certain  other  decisions 
leading  to  specific  choice.  A  boy  may  decide  to  enter 
the  mercantile  world  rather  than  the  professions,  basing 

42 


tlTfje  mtz  movk  Cljallenge  43 

his  choice  on  known  tastes  and  talents.  Such  a  decision 
may  be  encouraged  earlier  than  the  decision,  let  us 
say,  as  to  which  profession  or  which  branch  of  mercan- 
tile work  to  enter. 

Shall  these  boys  be  challenged  to  enter  whole-time 
Christian  callings — the  ministry,  at  home  or  abroad, 
the  medical  missionary  field,  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  secretaryship?  This  is  a  sharp  problem 
with  many.  It  would  be  comparatively  easy  to  sweep 
a  number  of  boys,  by  special  pleading,  into  decisions  for 
such  life  work.    Is  it  wise? 

The  suggestion  which  appeals  most  strongly  to  many 
is  that  every  boy  who  is  trained  under  Christian  direc- 
tion should  hold  an  open  mind  about  entering  whole- 
time  Christian  work.  To  this  end,  discussions  on  life 
work  should  proceed  with  an  even  emphasis  on  all 
phases  of  work;  too  often  the  Christian  ministry,  for 
instance,  is  left  out  of  the  general  discussion  with  the 
thought  that  this  subject  should  be  reserved  for  a 
favored  one  or  two  who  are  thought  by  some  adult  to 
be  specially  suited  for  this  profession. 

The  boy  of  fifteen  to  seventeen  should  have  a  fair 
deal — ^fair  in  the  sense  that  he  shall  have  equal  chance 
to  dedicate  himself  as  a  Christian  business  or  pro- 
fessional man  or  as  a  Christian  minister  or  other  full- 
time  Christian  worker.  The  business  and  professional 
careers  have  been  glorified  without  limit;  let  the  boy 
see  the  glory  in  other  careers  as  well. 

But  it  is  not  wise  to  teach  that  the  Christian  ministry 
is  sacred  and  the  business  or  professional  life  secular. 


44  tE^fte  Senior  Pop 


The  teacher  should  glorify  the  dedicated  Ufe  wherever 
found.  The  writer  can  never  forget  the  storm  of  pro- 
test which  rose  in  his  soul  when  certain  help  needed 
in  seeking  an  education  was  denied  because,  forsooth, 
he  was  not  a  theological  student.  It  nearly  cost  him 
his  religious  balance.  The  man  who  could  help  would 
help  a  theological  student;  but  a  student  of  science? — 
it  was  not  to  be  considered.  When  the  young  man  re- 
covered from  the  blow  he  resolved  that  he,  a  mere 
chemist,  would  yield  his  devotion  to  the  Christian  cause 
to  no  one,  even  though  he  be  a  theologue. 

Whether  a  boy  seeks  to  be  a  merchant  or  an  engineer 
or  a  Christian  minister,  there  can  be  no  greater  boon 
bestowed  upon  him  than  the  realization  that  his  work 
should  first  seek  other  rewards  than  money;  that  money 
is  an  incident,  not  an  end.  If  the  teacher  can  get  a  boy 
to  lay  his  life  course  by  the  chart  of  service,  letting 
money  come  as  it  will  and  to  all  good  ends,  it  is  an 
achievement;  whether  the  boy  will  then  choose  to  do 
one  thing  or  the  other  becomes  of  secondary  rather  than 
of  primary  importance.  "Not  self  but  service"  is  the 
motto  of  a  great  organization.  Is  it  a  good  motto  for 
this  Senior  boy? 

There  is  a  place  in  group  discussion  for  the  life  work 
topic.  Overdone,  it  becomes  a  bore.  To  let  it  enter 
naturally  into  any  discussion  at  any  point  is  better. 
To  be  prepared,  when  it  does  come  up,  to  leave  guiding 
principles  with  the  boys  should  be  the  teacher's  aim. 
Each  boy  will  develop  along  individual  lines.  Each 
boy  is  apt  to  betray  his  tendencies  in  a  way  different 


trfie  ILitt  Motfe  Cgallense  45 

from  others.  One  will  know  early  what  he  is  going  to 
do,  and  will  change  two  or  three  times  in  as  many  years. 
Another  will  know,  and  will  stick  to  his  decision.  Still 
another  will  defer  his  decision,  sometimes  mitil  very  late. 
Forcing  a  decision  is  not  usually,  if  ever,  good.  Opening 
the  way  for  a  natural  decision  is  quite  the  best  course. 

There  are  many  indirect  ways  to  help  boys  to  reach 
their  decisions.  The  average  boy  knows  little  beyond 
a  certain  groove  of  life.  Agricultural,  stock-raising,  or 
dairy  industries  may  be  investigated;  great  factories 
or  mercantile  houses,  when  they  are  near,  may  be 
visited;  tasks  of  professional  men  may  be  studied  at  close 
range;  men  at  work  in  service  tasks  may  be  called  upon 
to  yield  up  the  secrets  of  the  urge  that  is  upon  them. 

Too  long  has  the  lure  of  success  been  held  up  to  our 
boys,  defined  only  in  terms  of  money  or  power  and  their 
purchasing  values.  We  do  that  boy  violence  to  whom  we 
fail  to  open  up  the  horizon  of  the  world  where  others 
loom  larger  than  self. 

Biographies  are  helpful  in  this  choice-making  time. 
Benjamin  Franklin  has  always  been  a  great  man  to 
growing  boys;  I  wonder  how  many  have  become 
printers  because  FrankHn  was  a  printer?  It  is  well  to 
bring  the  lives  of  many  men  of  many  tastes  and  ac- 
complishments in  review  before  these  boys. 

The  whole  book  world  plays  its  part  here.  There  are 
many  vocational  books,  some  of  which  the  leader  of  the 
group  should  read  before  passing  them  on  to  his  boys. 
All  of  the  best  of  these  are  available  in  a  pubUc  library, 
but  the  adult  leader  of  the  group  may  find  it  valuable 
to  have  a  few  titles  in  his  own  possession. 


46  tE^e  Senior  Pop 


But  the  force  of  the  living  personality  which  fills 
the  near  foreground  will  play  a  large  part  in  many  a 
decision.  If  the  minister  the  boy  knows  best  is  virile 
and  appealing,  the  way  to  the  ministry  may  be  very 
inviting.  If  the  richest  man  in  town  is  a  merchant,  and 
is  at  the  same  time  an  acceptable  leader  of  men,  the 
appeal  there  will  be  strong.  Many  a  boy  leans  toward 
the  law  because  some  law-trained  man  is  outstanding  in 
the  community. 

The  Senior  age  is,  indeed,  a  time  of  great  decisions. 
To  be  bUnd  to  these  that  are  being  made  while  the 
pathways  of  teachers  and  pupils  cross  and  recross  is 
beyond  excuse. 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  What  broad  decisions  as  to  Ufe  work  may  be  made 
safely  by  a  boy  at  this  age? 

2.  To  what  extent  may  these  boys  be  challenged  to 
enter  whole-time  Christian  callings? 

3.  What  is  meant  by  a  ''fair  deal"  for  the  boy  in 
reference  to  whole-time  Christian  callings? 

4.  Tq  what  extent  is  one  calling  more  "sacred"  than 
another? 

5.  How  may  we  inculcate  desires  for  rewards  other 
than  money? 

6.  How  may  life-work  discussion  be  overdone? 

7.  How  may  we  use  books  to  help  boys  at  this  point? 

8.  How  do  near-by  personalities  play  a  great  part  in 
the  boy's  decision? 

For  further  reading:  ^The  author's  book  ''Making 
Life  Count,"  intended  for  boys  and  girls  of  this  age, 
should  also  be  read  by  the  teacher.  (Any  denomina- 
tional pubUshing  house.    $.60  net.) 


Strainins  for  S>eri3ice 

The  magic  word  to-day  is  "service."  Its  only  com- 
petitor is  ''efficiency."  We  may  grow  tired  of  them 
both;  but  of  the  things  which  they  stand  for  we  shall 
not  soon  grow  weary. 

A  new  manager  came  to  a  privately  owned  gas  com- 
pany which  had  at  one  time  the  reputation  of  being  the 
most  unsatisfactory  business  house  in  the  city  with 
which  to  do  business.  He  put  the  employees  to  school. 
They  had  one  lesson  to  learn — and  learn  it  they  did. 
They  were  taught  to  render  the  community  a  generous 
service.  In  but  a  little  while  the  gas  company  became 
one  of  the  places  with  which  people  took  special  deUght 
in  doing  business. 

There  is  a  bank  which  pays  no  interest  on  deposits, 
but  renders  service  to  its  patrons  in  imusual  ways.  Its 
stock  sells  at  an  almost  unheard  of  figure  above  its  par 
value.    This  bank  capitalized  the  idea  of  service. 

In  the  commercial  world  service  is,  indeed,  the  watch- 
word of  the  hour.  Shall  the  Church  be  content  with  a 
membership  which  has  failed  to  realize  what  this  word 
means?  As  one  studies  the  Church  to-day  he  is  led  to 
feel  that  a  vast  number  of  members  are  already  within 
its  fold  who  have  never  known  the  real  meaning  of  the 
word  ''service."  They  certainly  do  not  serve.  They 
expect  to  be  served  and  they  are  keen  to  criticize  if  the 

47 


48  ^ht  Senior  JBov 


minister  or  other  official  does  not  pay  so  much  attention 
to  them  as  to  some  one  else.  Apparently — ^for  one 
hesitates  to  impugn  motives — they  are  in  the  Church 
to  get,  not  to  give. 

Shall  we  ever  have  a  Church  which  has  in  it  more 
people  who  are  serving  than  who  are  being  served?  That 
is  a  real  hope  for  the  future.  It  is  based  simply  on  the  fact 
that,  increasingly,  we  are  coming  to  understand  our 
boys  and  girls  of  this  Senior  age  and  later,  and  as  we 
understand  them  we  are  finding  the  way  to  their  full 
salvation.  The  theory  that  you  must  pamper  young 
people  of  this  age,  feed  them,  amuse  them,  appeal  to 
their  selfishness,  is  about  as  hard  a  theory  to  kill  and 
bury  as  is  ever  met.  It  is  persistent  in  its  resurrective 
qualities.  Of  course,  entertaining  these  young  people 
is  the  easiest  method  of  approach  to  their  lives.  It 
takes  less  brain  and  energy  to  serve  them  than  it  does 
to  teach  them  to  serve  others.  No  doubt  this  fact  ex- 
plains a  condition  not  at  all  creditable. 

If  the  writer  could  be  assigned  the  task  of  training 
those  who  were  to  constitute  a  given  church  membership 
twenty  years  from  now  he  would  ask  nothing  more  than 
that  they  might  be  assigned  to  him  in  this  Senior  period. 
Here  is  the  place  where  service  for  others  begins  to  be- 
come a  passion.  If  they  have  lost  their  love  for  such 
service  a  few  years  later  it  is  largely  because  they  found 
no  outlet  for  their  eager  desires  to  serve  in  these  years 
from  sixteen  up. 

How  shall  we  train  these  young  people  for  service? 
The  answer  cannot  be  given  in  terms  of  concrete  sug- 


tlDraining  for  ^erbice  49 

gestions  set  down  in  order.  There  are  too  many  varia- 
ble elements  in  the  situation :  the  personaHty  of  the  boy 
or  girl  involved;  the  tastes  and  the  accomplishments;  the 
character  and  scope  of  the  chm'ch  work;  the  homes  and 
the  neighborhood,  whether  in  city,  village,  or  country. 
But  the  answer  can  be  set  down  in  principles;  if  these 
are  right,  the  particular  type  of  service  which  will  fit 
each  case  may  readily  be  discovered. 

1.  A  right  attitude  toward  the  matter  is  the  first 

necessity.  It  has  become  a  fixed  habit  of  many 
teachers  to  think  of  boys  and  girls  only  as  those 
who  must  be  entertained,  who  must  be  ministered 
to.  It  is  most  difficult  to  grasp  the  meaning  of 
^the  dawning  outreach  to  find  a  way  to  help — to 
give  and  to  cease  receiving.  This  fact  is  most 
difficult  for  adults  to  learn.  Hence  we  keep  right 
on,  ever  offering  to  those  who  fain  would  make 
offering  to  others.  The  first  essential  is  a  right 
attitude  on  our  own  part. 

2.  Diversity   of   personalities   must   be   recognized. 

Frequently  teachers  fail  to  develop  service  ten- 
dencies because  they  try  to  turn  a  whole  group 
into  one  groove.  Tastes  and  inclinations  differ; 
one  is  quick,  another  slow  of  thought  and  move- 
ment. Therefore  tasks  must  be  varied.  There 
must  be  something  for  each  to  do,  if  all  are  to  be 
at  vv^ork.  The  individual  must  be  thought  of,  as 
well  as  the  group. 

3.  Latent  responsibihty  must  be  developed.     This 

can  never  be  done  by  assigning  a  task  and  then 
reUeving  the  pupil  of  it  before  it  is  completed. 
A  teacher  may  sigh  over  the  ''utter  lack  of  sense 
of  responsibility"  in  her  pupils,  while  she  at  the 
same  time  is  a  persistent  offender  in  this  very 
4 


50  Zl^t  Senior  ilio|» 


respect.  The  task  given  to  a  pupil  may  not  be 
done  so  promptly  or  so  well  as  if  the  teacher, 
with  a  larger  experience,  did  it.  But  the  pupil 
may  be  more  important  than  the  task.  The 
greatest  accompUshment  may  be  the  training  of 
the  pupil  rather  than  the  finishing  of  the  task. 
Hence  the  first  consideration  is  the  pupil's  best 
good.  What  course  will  serve  him  best?  Surely, 
leaving  him  full  responsibility  for  an  assignment 
made;  not  relieving  him  of  it. 

4.  This  does  not  mean  any  lack  of  sympathetic  in- 

terest and  assistance.  The  role  of  taskmaster 
is  not  to  be  carried  out  by  a  Bible-school  teacher. 
But  to  work  with  a  pupil,  in  the  joint  accomplish- 
ment of  something  worth  while,  is  a  privilege; 
and  it  frequently  results  in  the  very  best  of  suc- 
cess. 

5.  The  preceding  paragraphs  seem  to  indicate  an 

assigned  task.  But  this  is  a  mistaken  notion  of 
what  is  real  service.  For  service,  in  its  best 
sense,  is  not  something  I  am  set  to  do  as  a  task, 
but  rather  something  I  discover  may  be  done  and 
which  I  gladly  undertake  as  my  contribution  to 
the  general  good.  Here,  then,  is  the  suggestion 
that  teachers  help  pupils  to  carry  out  their  own 
best  intentions. 

6.  Of  course,  others  will  suggest  avenues  of  useful- 

ness. But  some  adroitness  will  frequently  allow 
the  pupils  to  discover  these  avenues  themselves 
and  to  offer  their  help.  That  is  better;  it  is  a 
true  development  in  the  right  direction.  Half  the 
training  consists  in  letting  these  boys  and  girls 
learn  to  see  a  need  when  it  exists.  It  is  the  first 
step  toward  unselfishness.  Self-centered  inter- 
est never  sees  the  need  in  another;  it  is  too  dis- 


tlTtaintng  for  ^etbtce  51 

turbing  to  his  own  complacency.  Happy  is  the 
boy  or  the  girl  in  this  Senior  age  who  is  sensitive 
to  the  needs  all  about  his  or  her  own  life. 

7.  Everything  must  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  un- 

selfish service.  Lessons,  outings,  socials,  the  gen- 
eral program,  must  all  be  geared  up  to  unselfish 
expression.  The  teacher  need  not  say  much  about 
service  to  others;  but  he  must  everlastingly  teach 
it  in  a  score  of  ways,  and  try,  oh!  so  earnestly, 
to  live  it. 

8.  The  best  plan  is  to  educate  the  group  to  the  point 

where  every  plan  for  each  pupil  or  for  the  class 
is  matched  by  a  plan  for  others.  A  social  evening 
once  a  month?  Most  assuredly;  but,  as  well, 
an  evening  once  a  month  for  the  benefit  of  others 
whose  lives  have  no  glint  of  social  privilege  in 
them.  A  picnic  once  a  year  for  the  class?  Cer- 
tainly; provided  the  class  gives  a  picnic  once  a 
year  for  some  group  of  children  not  so  favorably 
circumstanced.  The  habit  will  become  so  firmly 
fixed  that,  sooner  or  later,  they  will  not  be  con- 
tent with  giving  others  an  equal  of  what  they 
themselves  have  received;  they  will  want  others 
to  have  more  than  they. 

9.  The  opportunities  for  service  offered  must  be  man- 

and  woman-size  rather  than  childish.  This  is 
extremely  important.  These  young  folks  are 
facing  away  from  childhood  toward  the  interests 
of  the  adult.  The  challenge  which  calls  them  to 
service  must  be  from  the  direction  of  adult  Ufe 
rather  than  from  the  direction  of  child  life,  which 
they  have  left  behind.  If  young  people  who  are 
eager  for  the  larger  thing,  and  quite  capable  of 
handling  it,  are  given  minor  tasks  to  do,  they  are 
apt  to  be  utterly  disgusted. 


52  tlTije  Senior  Pop 

10.  Service  must  be  based  on  Christian  ideals,  insti- 
tuted and  carried  forward  in  prayer.  This  kind 
of  service  is  not  to  be  compared  with  a  type  of 
so-called  social  service  which  never  rises  above 
the  ethical.  Genuine  social  service  is  Christian. 
Christ  is  the  great  Example  of  the  right  kind  of 
social  service.  It  is  the  height  of  folly  to  beheve 
that  these  young  people  do  not  welcome  the  chal- 
lenge of  the  Christian  appeal.  They  want  the 
best  there  is,  and  will  be  content  with  none 
cheaper.  With  the  right  kind  of  help  they  T\ill 
rise  to  heights  of  unselfish,  Christian  service 
that  may  scarcely  have  been  dreamed  of. 

These  boys  and  girls,  then,  are  emerging  into  the 
service  areas  of  their  Hves.  The  next  few  years  will  de- 
termine, almost  surely,  whether  they  will  develop  into 
large-hearted  service  Christians,  or  whether  they  will 
gradually  shrivel  up  and  hide  their  lives  in  a  shell  of 
selfishness,  as  so  many  have  done  before  them. 

As  the  teacher  interprets  Christian  service,  so  will 
these  boys  and  girls  learn  it.  If  he  gives  his  service 
grudgingly,  complainingly,  he  may  not  expect  more 
from  them.  If  his  service  is  buoyant,  eager,  abounding, 
they  will  have  the  genuine  opportunity  to  be  at  their 
best. 

May  God  help  all  teachers  to  serve  as  Christ  served ! 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is  meant,  in  your  own  thought,  by  the  word 
"service"? 

2.  Why  does  the  Senior  boy  respond  to  the  idea  of 
service?  ' 


tlTraining  for  ^erbice  53 

3.  What  is  the  best  illustration  of  which  you  know  of 
the  satisfaction-earning  value  of  service? 

4.  Name  at  least  five  principles  which  he  at  the  base 
of  the  process  of  getting  boys  to  serve  eagerly,  and  illus- 
trate^ each  with  a  concrete  example. 

5.  In  what  way  does  your  own  attitude  toward  service 
affect  the  attitude  of  these  boys? 

For  further  reading:  Apply  to  your  denominational 
board  for  specially  helpful  pamphlets  on  this  subject. 


X 

Should  a  Bible-school  teacher  ever  take  account  of 
stock?    Most  assuredly.    But  how? 

First,  by  asking  himself  some  direct  questions:  "Am 
I  growing?  Am  I  a  better  teacher  to-day  than  I  was  a 
year  ago?  Have  I  learned  more  about  these  pupils 
in  my  class?  Have  I  learned  more  about  the  age  period 
in  which  they  are  living?  Do  I  know  more  about  my 
Bible?"  The  pupils  have  grown  during  the  last  year. 
Indeed,  they  may  have  grown  much  more  than  a  year, 
for  they  gather  experience  and  change  viewpoints  in 
this  period  very  rapidly.  Hence  the  teacher,  too,  must 
grow;  for  he  must  keep  in  the  lead  of  these  active  minds. 

Second,  by  frankly  setting  down  results.  It  is  true 
that  there  are  results  which  may  not  be  seen;  the 
teacher  does  not  reap  much  that  he  sows.  But  by  the 
same  figure  he  has  a  right  to  expect  to  see  some  signs  of 
growth  in  the  field  in  which  he  has  been  privileged  to 
do  the  planting. 

But  what  results?  The  Word  of  God,  rightly  taught, 
is  truly  ''living,  and  active,  and  sharper  than  any  two- 
edged  sword,  and  piercing  even  to  the  dividing  of  soul 
and  spirit,  of  both  joints  and  marrow,  and  quick  to 
discern  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart."  Heb. 
4:12.  The  writer  has  profound  convictions  on  this 
point.    He  has  seen  the  Word  of  God  at  work  in  the 

54 


J^otD  ^fjall  3  Wtit  Mv  Maorfe?  55 


hearts  of  men  and  women,  of  boys  and  girls.  This  Word 
does  all  that  Paul  says  it  does.  Therefore,  if  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Word  fails  to  produce  results,  that  is  where  the 
trouble  hes.  It  is  not  with  the  Word;  it  must  be  with 
the  teaching. 

Relentlessly  the  teacher  must  press  this  challenge 
home  to  himself.  Does  the  Word  of  God,  as  he  teaches 
it,  change  the  lives  of  the  pupils?  This  shall  be  the 
test  of  all  teaching  work.  If  it  fails  to  meet  this  test, 
there  are  at  least  two  courses  open:  the  teacher  may 
quit,  acknowledging  his  failure,  which  is  the  cowardly 
way;  or  he  may  discover  wherein  he  is  at  fault  and  do 
better,  which  is  more  courageous. 

But  the  test  must  be  fair.  A  teacher  should  not  ex- 
pect to  find  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  present  in  a  young 
life.  He  may  find  their  beginnings.  He  should  not 
expect  too  sudden  transformations.  Conversion  in  the 
form  of  a  cataclysm  may  be  found  in  a  more  mature 
life,  with  a  previous  history  of  neglect  or  avowed  sin; 
conversion,  in  the  form  of  finding  oneself,  in  an  im- 
mature life  may  be  very  gradual.  There  is  no  standard 
by  which  one  may  safely  measure  the  gain  per  month 
or  per  year  as  a  result  of  teaching  contacts;  there  is  a 
principle,  however,  which  says  that  there  should  be 
appreciable  gain. 

Headaches  and  heartaches  will  come  from  appljdng 
this  test  to  a  teacher's  work.  The  stock-taking  may 
make  him  feel  at  times  that  he  is  losing  ground,  rather 
than  gaining  it.   Any  one  Sunday  may  yield  good  reason 


56  tlTije  Senior  JBop 


for  a  resignation;  but  he  must  gauge  his  work  by  aver- 
ages, over  a  period  of  time. 

What  changes  may  a  teacher  expect  to  see  in  the 
lives  of  Senior  boys?    Here  are  several : 

1.  Increased  interest  in  the  Bible. 

2.  Increased    attendance   upon   Bible   school   and 
church. 

3.  Increasing  reverence  in  attitude  and  expression. 

4.  Evidence  of  more  helpful  relationships  at  home. 
.   5.  Elimination  of  dishonesty  at  school. 

6.  Improvement  in  the  choice  of  companions. 

7.  Growing  discrimination  in  the  choice  of  amuse- 
ments. 

8.  Increased  interest  in  discovering  a  life  work. 

9.  Evidence  of  growth  in  the  prayer  life. 
10.  Marked  growth  in  unselfishness. 

Is  there  yet  another  test  of  the  teacher's  work?  Per- 
haps there  is.  It  may  be  applied  by  asking  himself 
these  questions:  "Do  I  come  eagerly  to  my  teaching 
task?  Do  I  do  this  work  gladly?  Heavy  as  are  its  re- 
sponsibihties,  do  I  turn  to  it  as  a  genuine  joy  in  my  life?'* 
A  failure  to  answer  in  the  affirmative  is  not  necessarily 
a  sign  of  failure;  but  it  is  the  writer's  experience  that 
whenever,  in  his  own  life,  he  has  come  to  groan  over 
this  teaching  privilege  as  a  burdensome  task,  the  re- 
sults have  been  very  meager.  There  is  a  presumption 
that  efficient  teachers  should  leap  to  the  work  as  a 
trained  athlete,  eager  for  the  event,  steps  to  the  starting 
place  with  spring  and  resilience  in  every  muscle  and 
with  a  smile  on  his  face. 

Perhaps  the  summing  up  of  this  whole  test  is  to  be 


?i^obj  ^fjall  3  Ztsit  iHp  Morfe?  57 


found  in  a  simple  statement.  If  every  real  impression 
calls  for  expression  in  the  life  of  the  pupil,  perhaps  the 
same  test  should  be  applied  to  the  teacher.  To  the 
extent  that  he  is  impressed  with  the  major  importance 
of  the  teacher's  opportunity,  -^dll  he  give  eager,  buoyant 
expression  to  this  conviction  in  his  contact  with  his 
pupils. 

TEST  QUESTIONS 

1.  How  do  I  know  whether  or  not  I  am  growing? 

2.  What  results  have  you  definitely  seen  from  your 
own  teaching  work? 

3.  How  may  increased  interest  in  the  Bible  be  mani- 
fested by  boys? 

4.  How  is  attendance  at  Bible  school  a  gauge  of 
results?  Cannot  we  get  some  results  without  such 
attendance? 

5.  Why  is  a  marked  growth  in  imselfishness  at  the 
base  of  many  other  results? 

6.  How  does  my  otnti  attitude  toward  my  teaching 
privilege  act  as  a  test  of  my  work? 

For  further  reading:  "The  Rehgious  Education  of 
Adolescents,"  by  Norman  E.  Richardson.  (Abingdon 
Press,  New  York.) 


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